Aaron Boone is weighing lineup changes for Game 3, and after two nights of almost nothing at the plate, the Yankees probably need them.
New York stormed through the wild-card round with 18 runs in two games against the Red Sox, but that burst of offense vanished at Tropicana Field. Through the first two games of the ALDS, the Yankees have managed only five hits and two runs, with both runs coming on solo homers from Ben Rice.
Boone stuck with the same lineup for Game 2 after the offense disappeared in the opener, hoping a different pitcher would help shake things loose. It didn’t, and now the Yankees are staring at elimination.
The numbers tell the story in blunt fashion. New York is batting just .086 as a team against the Rays through two games, and no American League postseason team has ever posted a worse average over any two-game stretch.
The Yankees also had a long streak snapped in this series: before Game 1, they had never been held under two hits in a postseason game across 447 franchise playoff games. That changed Saturday, and Monday night didn’t bring much relief.
Boone said ahead of Wednesday night’s Game 3 that he is considering changes as the Yankees try to find some life against a Rays pitching staff that has smothered them.
If Boone does go in a new direction, the lineup should be built around offense first:
- Ben Rice, 1B
- Luis Garcia Jr., 2B
- Giancarlo Stanton, DH
- Cody Bellinger, LF
- Trent Grisham, CF
- Spencer Jones, RF
- Austin Wells, C
- Jose Caballero, 3B
- Anthony Volpe, SS
That version would lean hard into run production, which makes sense for a team that has not exactly looked sharp on defense in this series. The Yankees’ defensive issues were on full display in Game 2, and there’s no quick fix for that.
The better play, as the lineup goes, is to stack bats and try to outslug the Rays. New York hit much better at home than on the road during the season, so maximizing offense may be the clearest path.
Rice is the easy call. His two solo homers in Game 2 are the only Yankees runs in the series, and he has already handled Nick Martinez well.
In nine career at-bats against Martinez, Rice has a 1.323 OPS with four hits, including three doubles. Moving Rice to first base would also open the DH spot for Stanton, who has made just one postseason at-bat.
Stanton has been limited by injuries this season and appeared in only 24 games, but he is on the roster to provide power, and the Yankees could use it now.
Luis Garcia Jr. would slide to second, a position he played 129 times last season. That would push Jazz Chisholm Jr. to the bench after a rough series both offensively and defensively, though he could still be used later as a pinch hitter or pinch runner.
Trent Grisham also gets a spot in this look, and there’s a reason for it. He has gone 4-for-6 with three doubles and two walks against Martinez in his career. The sample is tiny, and Grisham has not done much offensively in the postseason, but this is the kind of matchup that could help him turn things around.
The other notable changes would come on the left side of the infield. Ryan McMahon and George Lombard Jr. should both sit.
McMahon was brought in largely for defense, but he committed a costly error on the first play of Monday’s game and has offered little at the plate. He posted only a .662 OPS against right-handers this season, and in 22 at-bats against Martinez he has five hits and nine strikeouts.
Jose Caballero, who has done a bit better against Martinez and brings more speed, should get the nod at third base, where he has played 37 games this season. Anthony Volpe should also take over at shortstop after Lombard’s rough defensive night.
A bench of Paul Goldschmidt, Chisholm, McMahon, Volpe, Ali Sanchez and Heliot Ramos would give the Yankees options late, including matchup chances with Ramos and Goldschmidt once Martinez leaves the game.
Game 3 is do-or-die, and after two flat offensive nights, Boone may not have much choice but to shake things up.
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